I am now plowing through the third day in a row that I've gotten out of bed at 6:00am. Please send coffee. In order to make Vic's new job a success, we decided (well, HE decided) we should go to bed earlier and get up together. He thinks we will spend more time together this way, but I don't know if staring at each other with foggy eyes and muttering unintelligible one-syllable words at each other counts as spending time together.
Normally, I would stay up late. Till 1 or 2 in the morning. This night owl behavior gives me time to get things done. Like reading, sewing, knitting, laundry or whatever, with a clear head and no interruptions. The extra couple of hours after the kids go to bed also give me time to unwind from the constant noise of the day. I need that time to relax enough to sleep. So this getting up early thing is killing me. I find it difficult to go to bed any earlier, since insufficient unwinding leaves me lying in bed for at least an hour before sleep finds me. I figure either I'll become so sleep-deprived that I'll eventually adjust, or I'll go insane. Either is acceptable to me at this point. They have Nap Time in the institution.
My kids have a specified bedtime, but no specified wake time. Their bed time is for my sanity, and their safety as it relates to my sanity. I figure letting them sleep as long as they feel necessary in the mornings ensures they're getting enough sleep. Before this routine of getting up at 6:00, the kids would wake me when they were all up, which was about 9:00 or so. I feel it's important to mention that I'm not a believer in using caffeine to avoid responding to the body's need for sleep. But I'm starting to realize how much of a difference the lack of sleep makes in my brain function. So I'm shamefully drinking caffeinated coffee and telling myself that I'll eventually learn to sleep at night. I will, won't I?
I'll be watching for the men in white coats.
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4 comments:
My natural rhythm is like yours, I think. But I've been sleep-deprived for the last 20 years. (my son will be 20 on the 22nd).
I get up in the morning a few minutes before my hubby leaves for work so we can avoid each other until the hug at the front door as he's leaving. :)
I usually stay up, it's my computer time. The rest of my day is laundry, dishes, getting ready for work and leaving for work and working and coming home and folding laundry.
But I do like to go to bed at the same time as he does. It's our talk time. We often lie awake for an hour or more just talking.
2 years ago I went through the same thing. My husband was on nights for years and then all the sudden he goes to days.
Sometimes I go back to bed after he leaves and get that other 2hr sleep, but most of the time I use the morning time as my alone time.
The downside of this is I have always been a natural night owl and it hasn't always been easy.
Good luck!
kitten
Shoot, if I have caffeine in the morning I'm still wired at bedtime. Plus, I will have spent the morning unable to blink.
Being tired makes me crave sugary crap, which makes me more tired. I think this is a typical response. Just sayin'. I've finally figured out how to eat for more energy, but I think my methods might be specific to me, plus I hate people who are all preachy about diet (plus it involves things like liver, which you probably don't want to know).
Take care. If you lived nearby I'd invite you over and stick you in a dark corner of the house for a nap.
I cherish bedtime for the kids. It's 9pm rain or shine. And right now, it's still almost shining until 845. My husband is a nightowl which requires my being a nightowl. I'm not very good at it, especially since the kids get up before 7am! Hopefully, they'll soon take after their dad and want to sleep 'til noon. A girl can dream...good luck with your transition.
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